Computer users often need to revisit something that they have recently seen on their screen. One example of technology that addresses this need is the search history. Search engines are often designed to save previously entered search terms, so that a user may revisit data that was seen earlier. In another example, web browsers may maintain a record of previously visited sites. If one wants to find previously visited websites, one can search according to a name, URL or timeline, and retrieve the desired pages. A similar arrangement could be used to access recently used files or applications, using an operating system's “search programs and files” utility.
However, current utilities are generally limited to retrieval based on the use of a program or file. A user may be given a list of previously opened files or previously visited websites, for example. This supplies only imprecise and non-focused data, is not particularly natural, and does not allow direct retrieval of information that had been the earlier focus of the user. Moreover, the search criteria, since not relying on the user's behavior, may be restricted to superficial data (e.g., keywords, time, file size, etc.). This does not make use of the natural flow of a human user's interaction with the computer. It does not take into consideration the context of the data being sought, and does not always allow the user to accurately backtrack according to his or her own intentional and specific interests. The current search methods, for instance, do not necessarily help the user in retrieving data when recalling vaguely what he or she has recently seen or read.
In the drawings, the leftmost digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.